Living on the Edge in the Sahara
by
This first-person narrative follows David Graham, who escapes from a potentially dull job in England to travel and explore a different culture. The story is set in various locations in Algeria: Bou Saada on the edge of the Sahara desert; Tipaza, an ancient Roman port in the north; the Hoggar mountains; and Djanet, a small town deep in the south. Dave is bisexual and forms an emotional relationship with an Algerian guy, Moussa, and later an American woman, Sue. Jealousy is explored as Dave and Sue have had relationships destroyed by possessiveness. Moussa later falls in love with a British teacher, Liz. However, in enacting a revenge plot, they find themselves recruited by the Sûreté, the Algerian Secret police, to stop an attempted coup against the Algerian government. Farid, Moussa's young cousin, joins them. Nevertheless, it’s unclear who is in control, as the FLN (National Liberation Front) controls the government, and Farid’s father, the Mayor of Bou Saada, has a secretive role in directing the operation. As they travel further from civilization, the Sahara desert affects the characters' mood, adding to the drama as the tension builds to a final resolution.
Drawn into Danger - The Prologue
Death comes in many forms and creeps up on you without warning, then leaves you shattered and reeling. It also leaves an after- math—weeks, months, even years following those left behind. The heartache never disappears. It only hides in secret places of your mind, surfacing as memories return and then recede. The memories of the life you lived force you to re-examine and question why. A more mature you would have . . . but all these “what-ifs” are pointless, as they only bury you in further grief and despair. But no matter how hard you try, they still bubble up to the surface and capture you unawares.
Walking on the beach on a cold, windswept day, a wave of emotion smashed into me. Hands shaking and vision blurred, it forced me to my knees. Barely noticing the wind whipping up the sand and the decay of a half-eaten seagull, one dull and lifeless eye glaring up at the world it no longer lives in.
READ MOREI wept for what had been. Memories of our time together haunting me. We had loved and enjoyed life, but had been drawn into a darker, more dangerous place. Why is this greyness torturing me now with recollections of so long ago? Algeria had been bright and warm and invigorating. You had been so full of life, and yet . . .
COLLAPSEThe Book Commentary on Peace Arch News wrote:"A stunning debut novel."
Literary Titan wrote:"Spellbinding tale — fun, stimulating, dangerous, and the awakening of a more intense sexuality.”
5 / 5 stars
“An unforgettable novel.”
